1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a fender assembly for a heavy-duty vehicle. In one of its aspects, the invention relates to fender assembly that includes an adjustable mounting bracket. In another of its aspects, the invention relates to an adjustable mounting bracket for mounting a fender to a vehicle frame. In another of its aspects, the invention relates to a mounting bracket for mounting a fender toga vehicle wherein the mounting bracket is adapted to mount above or below the fender and is also adapted to mount anywhere along the fender.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heavy-duty vehicles, such as a semi-tractor, use fender assemblies to cover the otherwise exposed drive wheels of the tractor. Many fender assemblies are adjustable to accommodate the various semi-tractor configurations and fender types. A common approach for accomplishing the adjustability of the fender assembly is to provide the assembly with an adjustable mounting bracket, which mounts the fender to the vehicle frame in a manner to permit the movement of the fender relative to the vehicle frame and wheels.
Prior mounting brackets comprise an elongated arm that is connected to and laterally offset from a rotationally adjustable mount. The elongated arm extends generally laterally from the vehicle and mounts a portion of the fender. The rotationally adjustable mount is secured to the vehicle frame. The relative position of the fender to the vehicle and wheels can be adjusted by rotating the rotationally adjustable mount to change the orientation of the elongated arm by moving the arm along an arc whose center point is the axis of rotation of the adjustable mount. The arc defines the limited range of motion or adjustability for the bracket. Thus, the rotation of the adjustable mount simultaneously changes both the fore/aft position of the arm relative to the vehicle and the height of the arm relative to the ground. The arc is dictated by the offset distance.
The arm and mount can be separate pieces or formed as a single piece. The rotatable mount can comprise a tube that receives a bolt secured to the frame by a nut. The mount can be rotated by loosening the nut and rotating the tube and re-tightening the nut.
One disadvantage of the prior mounting brackets is that the range of motion defined by the arc for a given offset may not work for all combinations of fenders and semi-tractors since there are a variety of different shapes and styles of fenders, and different semi-tractors have different amounts of space in which the fender can be placed. Typically, different mounting brackets may be required to mount different parts of the fender to a vehicle frame.
It is desirable to have a mounting bracket assembly that has an adjustable offset to provide for multiple range-of-motion arcs and thereby accommodate many more combinations of fenders and semi-tractors with a single bracket.